The Fugitives
by SkittlesAndImagination
Summary: AU: 16 runaways. Far more alike than any of them could ever imagine. They all have a secret that could cause a whole lot of trouble. But together, they could actually be a family. WARNING: VERY VERY STRONG T BECAUSE SOME OF THE THEMES IN THIS ARE VERY DARK. NOTHING DESCRIPTIVE, BUT COULD BE TRIGGERING.
1. Chapter 1

"RUN!" Carmen screamed, and so they did. But they'd always been running, really...right from the very beginning of their stories.  
~~

Carmen, Johnny, Tee, Faith, Bailey, Mo, Harry, Liam, Frank, Elektra, Sapphire, Floss, Rick, Tyler, Jody and Toby.

16 runaways.

Far more alike than any of them could ever possibly imagine, and all of them holding a secret that could cause a whole lot of trouble.  
~~

Carmen is a thief.

Johnny is wanted for burglaries, and pickpocketing.

Tee got pregnant.

Faith made sure her family went missing.

Bailey was chucked out.

Mo was abused.

Harry killed his sister.

Liam has a huge criminal record.

Frank murdered a man.

Elektra was raped.

Sapphire killed her parents, and is now homeless.

Floss stabbed a policeman.

Rick broke out of prison.

Tyler's pranks gone too far landed him in juvy, and he escaped.

Jody killed her brothers and severely injured her mother,

and Toby burned an entire street of houses.

But together, they could actually be a family.


	2. Chapter 2

Carmen Howle walked down the streets of London, her black hoodie zipped right up and her hood pulled over her head. She was wearing black all over, so she didn't stand out too much. She kept completely to the shadows, her hands in her pockets, her bag bouncing slightly with every step she took. It would have been clear, if anyone properly looked, that she was a runaway. Her face was covered in dirt and dry blood, and her hands were dirty too. Her clothes were only slightly dirty, however. She silently slipped into a restaurant and asked to use the bathroom before she ordered.

The manager looked her up and down in disgust, before nodding. Carmen nodded, too tired to make a snarky comment, and she walked into the bathroom. She put her bag down and used water to wash her face and hands. When she looked cleaner, she pushed her hood down and dried her hands and face on a towel. She sighed softly, looking in the mirror.

The tired eyes of a 14 year old girl looked back at her. A 14 year old girl, forced to be a fugitive. She'd been on the run for three weeks now, and she was desperate to find a place she could sleep and hide. She still had a lot of money left, but that was only because she stole stuff and then sold it. That was just a daily routine for her. God knows what she would be without it.

She took some money out of her bag and then put her bag back on her back, walking into the restaurant. She ordered a plain cheese burger and a coke. She handed over the money, took her change and her food, and then walked out. She went and sat on a bench and began to drink and eat. She looked around her, shivering slightly as the cold air hit her.

Carmen chewed on her lip softly. It was times like this when she hated being alone; it was the worst experience ever. But then again, her family had never been supportive of her. They'd hated her, really. That was why she was probably better off alone. Nonetheless, it didn't stop her wanting a companion to be a fugitive with. She laughed bitterly. Who would want to get stuck with her? She took another bite of her burger, savouring it. She hadn't eaten like this for quite a while, since it was only two or three days ago that she got the money from selling stuff. Still, she was thankful.

She was a thief, plain and simple. She was also a good actress, and it was easy for her to catch other people out when they were lying. However, she was probably one of the best liars there was. It took one to know one, after all.

"Excuse me..." a voice said, bringing Carmen out of her thoughts.

She looked up to see a tall, skinny boy in front of her. He was dressed all in dark blue and he had dirt all over him. She raised an eyebrow.

"Yeah?" she asked. Her eyes found the bag on his back, but Carmen could see he was trying to hide it. He was like her.

"Where'd you get that?" he gestured to the burger. "Can you recommend the place to me?"

Carmen pointed at the restaurant down the street. "Just there. They do really great food." she explained.

The boy looked in his pocket, then cursed. "Shit...they stole my wallet..."

Carmen raised an eyebrow and looked at him carefully. He was acting, but she could only just tell. He was good.

"You want some money?" Carmen offered.

"Oh no, it's okay, you don't have to..." he said modestly.

"No no, really." Carmen reached into her pocket and pulled out a wad of money. "By the way...you're a good actor, but your wallet is most likely in your bag. You could have fooled me, but I'm really good at telling who's lying." she handed over the money.

The boy looked sheepish. "Right, right, sorry...are you a runaway too?" he asked, pointing at her bag.

"Yep." Carmen said, finishing her burger and her drink, chucking the cartons in the bin. She stood up. "Haven't met another runaway around here for a while." she said, putting her bag on her back. "It's been a pleasure." she smiled and walked away. He walked towards the restaurant. She paused and looked back when she heard a thud.

There were three older boys around the boy she'd just been talking to.

"Give us your money, freak!" one said. He had blonde hair and dark skin.

"Give us all you've got!" another yelled. He was red headed.

Carmen felt rage boil up inside of her, and while she could have just walked away, she just...felt the need to help him. So she hid her bag under the bench, cracked her knuckles, and ran at the guy who had his back to her. He had black hair and he was the only one who hadn't spoken. She tackled him from the back and punched him in the back of the head. He shook her off and threw her to the ground. She landed beside the boy she was defending.

"Fancy seeing you here." the boy mumbled.

Carmen kicked the man's shin and he doubled over in pain. She grabbed the boy's arm and pulled him up. The redhead man grabbed her and lifted her over his shoulder.

"Let her go!" the boy yelled, and there was a scuffling sound before Carmen was dropped. The boy quickly caught her, grabbed his bag, and they ran. Carmen grabbed her bag from under the bench as they ran, and she grabbed his wrist, pulling him into an alleyway. After a few moments of silence, the men ran straight past and Carmen let out a breath of relief.

"Thanks for that." the boy said.

"Yeah...thanks for catching me and all that." Carmen said.

"What's your name?" the boy asked.

"Carmen. You?"

"Johnny." he smiled slightly.

"Tell you what. We'll go to that restaurant together this time, and I'll watch over you." Carmen teased.

"I'll watch over _you." _Johnny teased back. "But yeah, sounds good."

They walked towards the restaurant together, and they sat at a table by the window while Johnny ate.

"So..." Carmen said. "What's your story?" she asked, looking at him.

"I'm wanted for burglaries and pickpocketing." Johnny shrugged. "You?"

"I'm a thief. Ran away from home because my family hated me. I've got a huge criminal record and I reckon they're out looking for me since I robbed Buckingham Palace. Or, tried to." she said.

"Really? How old are you?" Johnny asked.

"14. You?"

"Me too." Johnny said. "You're pretty cool. I didn't think I'd meet another runaway at all, especially not one like me."

Carmen laughed. "It does get lonely out here, so it's nice to have company even if it's only for a while."

"Yeah, I agree." Johnny said.

He finished eating and the two began swapping favourite colours and such. Then, they started walking together, just chatting about anything they could think of.

All of a sudden, Carmen's eyes found something.

"Is that a door?" she asked, pointing to the ground. There was, in fact, a door there.

"Yeah..." Johnny said. He pulled at it and it opened. "There's stairs..."

"Come on then!" Carmen went down the stairs and felt along the wall. She found a light switch and turned it on. Her eyes widened. "Wow..."

It was like a mini house; there were beds and sofas and pillows, scattered everywhere. But there was just a feel about it; like it was obvious that nobody had been there for a long time.

"Holy shit..." Johnny murmured. "This place is amazing!"

Carmen chewed on her lip thoughtfully. "Johnny?"

"Yeah?"

"Have you got anywhere to go?"

"No. You?"

"No."

Johnny and Carmen were silent for a moment, before they both began to grin.

"I'm taking the first bed!" Carmen said, diving onto it.

"I've got the second, it's way better." Johnny said, jumping onto his.

That night, they both slept easily. But little did they know that this was just the beginning...


End file.
